DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Dorsey and Freddie

Love that shirt!

After seeing how Freddie handled the offense "on the fly" this past season, I'm fairly confident having an entire off-season to plan will be handled very well. Every facet of the O seemed to improve under his lead, pass blocking, rush blocking, receiver separation, passing efficiency...heck, even receivers making catches as a group. So it was a multi-faceted effort he oversaw.

Every head coach has his first gig. Freddie is well placed to succeed in his.

Time are changing. When Jason La Canfora starts fawning over the Browns, we are living in the last days!

Why Freddie Kitchens is the perfect coach to take the Browns to the playoffs amid rising expectations
Get used to it, next season it'll be brown and orange all over your screen
Jason La Canfora
mugshot by Jason La Canfora
@JasonLaCanfora
2 hrs ago • 8 min read

PHOENIX – Freddie Kitchens is not a very good actor.

Each time the Cleveland Browns rookie head coach was asked about the burden of sudden expectations regarding his upstart team – the franchise still basking in the afterglow of plundering Odell Beckham, Jr. from the Giants without having to surrender two first-round picks – he was prepared with the same response. It popped up quite frequently, as the Browns jovial coach was prime fodder for the football media making the rounds today at the coaches breakfast during the NFL league meetings at the Arizona Biltmore. The Browns are now the darlings of this NFL offseason, in case you haven't heard (and to be clear, I am fully on board the Cleveland hype train).

Each time the question about handling playoff hysteria, given all the stars now assembled on this roster, was asked in one fashion or another, Kitchens would feign being petrified, occasionally throwing up his hands in a hopeless manner. Then he would deadpan something about the fear that was clearly gripping mind and central nervous system.

"Oooh, I'm scared to death," said Kitchens, whose marvelous work with the Browns offense and rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield hastened his ascent from first-time interim offensive coordinator in 2018 to NFL head coach of the "it" team in 2019. No one at the table, of course, believed him one bit. He wasn't trying very hard to convince us, anyway.

Kitchens has the same moxie, swagger, candor and cool self-belief as his quarterback, as well as one of his coaching mentors, Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians. If anything, Kitchens seems to be relishing the newfound attention and positive headlines being afforded the Browns after decades of flailing around the bottom of the AFC. Their previous head coach, lest we forget, Hue "Huebris" Jackson, was finally, mercifully fired last October having conspired to oversee a winless 2017 and compile an unfathomable record of 3-36-1 in Cleveland.

A mere year ago at these meetings, the prevailing narrative about this franchise was: "How the hell are they bringing that coach back after one win in two seasons?" Now, it's: "Will the Ravens or Steelers give the Browns the toughest competition in the AFC North?" And for good reason. Bengals 30-something rookie coach Zac Taylor, straight-faced, spoke about the AFC North as arguably the best division in football, because of, and not in spite of, the Browns.


"It's a fun division to be in, and I wouldn't want it any other way," Taylor said. "Let's go play the best, the teams that are perceived to be the best, and grind it out every week. And when you win this division you have earned every second of it. ... You want to beat the best and be in the best division."

We'll find out how polished and ready Kitchens is for his new gig as the season unfolds (same with Taylor, for that matter). But the Browns have the roster to be a force in 2019, and consider me on Team Kitchens when it comes to the timeless question about whether the weight of expectations will serve to illuminate the best or worst of a young team filled with no shortage of strong personalities and individual brands.

"First and foremost, you have to have those expectations within your team, before you are ever going to get anywhere, alright," Kitchens said matter-of-factly, following another pantomime routine of being horrified. "… You're either going to have bad expectations, or good expectations, and I'd much rather them be good because ... at least we have the potential. Or at least other people think we have the potential. But that doesn't affect our expectations, and our expectations are going to be that high. And that's where we want them.

"So that doesn't change the pressure on me. The pressure is on somebody that gets up in the morning and doesn't have any money and has a baby to feed, and his wife just left him, who doesn't have a job. That's pressure. That's real life. The pressure on us is just to win or lose. We're just going to perform the best we can and we'll what happens."


Says here that what's going to happen is the Browns winning significantly more games than they lose, and reaching the playoffs for just the second time since re-entering the NFL as an expansion team in 1999. I would not be surprised in the least if they win their first postseason game since the former Cleveland franchise moved to Baltimore to become the Ravens, which in and of itself would be heady terrain for the club that has not had a winning season since 2007 and has managed just two of them in the last 20 years.

I wouldn't be putting big money on a Super Bowl just yet, and time will tell how guys like Mayfield and Beckham and Jarvis Landry and Antonio Callaway and Kareem Hunt meld and congeal over time. It's worth noting that general manager John Dorsey tends to gravitate towards potentially combustible personalities and extreme character traits in his team-building (the remnants of which the Chiefs are still dealing with). But you cannot convince me this team will not take major leaps forward in 2019. I'm buying the Browns. Bigly.

Kitchens has the right demeanor and drawl to keep this bunch loose and motivated, there will be a honeymoon (perhaps lengthy) for Beckham now that he's out of the glare of Gotham, and Mayfield is going to be a massive star in this league, on field and off. This is happening, folks. Just embrace it. Follow them on Twitter, and on primetime TV, and enjoy the ride. Because the Browns aren't shying away from any of it.

"It's never been harder, ever, for these guys to play, perform and succeed, because they are always being critiqued in everything that they do," Kitchens said, clearly vested in the psyche of these mega-stars to be. "As the Cleveland Browns, we want to offer them a safe space, per se, of just doing their work and doing their job and getting to know their teammates, which is gonna build better trust and character within their team. That's all we're gonna do."


Kitchens gets it.

Juggling personalities and finding a way to keep all of these skill position players happy, as a first-time head coach? Bring it on, Kitchens said. Well, not quite that way, but you get the picture. These are good problems to have (and, well, trying to win with bad coaches and almost no talent on the roster hasn't worked too well in Cleveland through owner Jimmy Haslam's tenure, either, so I dare say Browns fans are embracing this novel alternative).

"You've got to make sure you develop a relationship where they know that you've got their best interest in mind," Kitchens said, "and as you do that, you've got the team's best interest in mind. … And I don't expect anything different from Odell. Odell, I guarantee you, the most important thing to Odell is winning. I've spoken to him. I've talked to him. I know he's passionate about winning. … Jarvis Landry cares about winning. Baker Mayfield, what do you think he cares about? … All these guys are the same. They want to win, because they know their ultimate individual success is going to be tied to winning."

You can't hear Kitchens get on a roll and not hear Arians' voice shining through. They sound the same and embrace players in a similar fashion. Arians made it well known, while calling games for CBS last season, how much he coveted the Browns job before it was even really open. He was hardly alone in viewing the franchise as a long-slumbering giant, finally awakening.

"I don't think there's any doubt," Arians told me. "I don't think there's any doubt. What they started building last year, and with what Freddie did offensively, they're going to be somebody to be reckoned with, quickly. You can go last to first quick in this league. You have to stay healthy and have a little bit of luck, but they've got the pieces. They've got the pieces, and Freddie will do one helluva job."


And the burden of expectations?

"That will be the biggest hurdle for them," Arians said. "Being favored, or expected to win. Because that underdog thing is fun. That's great. Hey, they all expect us to lose and we won. Now, there is a lot more pressure involved when you become good."

After years of spiraling, the Browns are now a beacon for other rebuilding franchises. Jon Gruden, entering Year Two of an epic overhaul in Oakland, has kept an eye on them. Everyone is noticing, and talking about, Cleveland these days.

"Obviously, you've got to get the quarterback playing at a blue level," Gruden said, as only he can. "If you get a blue-chip quarterback, you've got a chance to win every game. Forget about winning a couple of games; you've got a chance every night. And Mayfield has solved a lot of their problems.

"All you've got to do is turn the film on. What he did as a rookie is incredible. I don't think people really know how well he played. They have gone through quarterbacks like they've gone through I don't know what. But when you solve that position, you've got a real chance."


I'm not going to guarantee a win total, but I will contend that it starts with a 1 (and then is followed by another digit; again, Huebris no longer lives here). This offense is going to be must-see TV, and the various networks are already fighting over Browns games. They will be a national story on a weekly basis, and not just on game day.

Thursday night. Sunday night. Monday night. Get used to it. Brown and orange, all over your screen.

"I am scared to death of all of those," Kitchens said, still riffing. "I mean I really am. I don't know how I'm going to deal with it. I mean I really don't know if I'm ready for this job. I really don't man. … You guys are worried about me. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Damn straight, coach. You had me at "scared." See you in January. On national TV. In the playoffs.

Very cool. Like what I'm hearing from Freddie.

You know- I read posts like this, knowing they are based in 'our new reality'... but it's still almost too much to take in. The possibilities make my head swim.

I mean, think about it: exactly one year ago, CLE was sitting on record of 0-16. Today they are favorites to take the AFN.

There are simply no coping skills to help me process this.

Un-freaking-believable.
So glad I didn't bail a few years back.

I drive down to Montgomery, Ala. to visit my sister every 6 weeks or so. To get there I have to drive through Gadsden on 59.

When I go through now, I bow. It's a little early in the drive going down, or a little late to stop heading back to Chattanooga to stop, but I might have to stop for a meat and three plate meal at some point and wonder if Freddie ate there?

Every few years, a team seems to come out of nowhere to become really good. The orange and brown planets are aligned. It's our turn.

It could be us this year but as I said in an earlier post, we have new players and new coaches that have to mesh and get used to each other. Being a loyal Browns fan for over 50 years I am always cautious but even I am excited over the potential of this offense. As long as we give Baker time I can't see how any D can stop us. We have highly skilled players all over the field. Big change from the past!!!

Have you seen Freddie!?

If the food is any good, he ate there!

I'm not sure that's it at all. I think people have already seen what we can do and are jumping on a team that's already on their way. Not a team poised to do so.

Once Hue was gone and with a huge infusion of talent from Dorsey, we went 5-3 in the second half of last season. That would be a 10-6 record if you extrapolate that out over a 16 game season. Our QB was a rookie who will only get better. He set the rookie passing TD record and didn't even start every game.

We added players like OBJ on our O. Adding players like Olivier Vernon and Sheldon Richardson in key areas of need are huge even though sometimes lost on fans by getting OBJ.

What I think those jumping on the Browns bandwagon are doing is simply having a firm grasp of the obvious. What the NFL world saw from this team during the final half of last season combined with the talent we once again added during the off season tells them we have arrived. Not that we're going to.

Not to be Debbie Downer, but opposing teams will have a little bit of a book on Baker and on our offense as it was towards the end of the season. I don't expect that to hinder our growth too much as Monkin will have wrinkles to add I'm sure, but it's something to at least be aware of.

It may be a glimpse but with the additions of OBJ and Hunt coming in later in the year, I don't think a glimpse of last year will give them a look at this year.

A HC can only use the weapons he has at his disposal. When you vastly improve those weapons the changes it creates are a complete mystery.

I am not worried about a "book" on Baker. I am worried about the D and it's ability to allow us to win some blowouts.

A tight game is a tight game. It doesn't matter how many points the two teams score.

I don't see us being on the level of a great defense but I do see we'll be much improved. The additions of Richardson and Vernon are clearly big improvements.

But I'm with you here. I don't care about the score, just the W.

If our D is 16th Middle of the Pack we will win 12-13 games with our Offense ...

Through the first 3 games of the past season, we were statistically one of the best Defenses in the league. And that was with games against the Saints and Steelers. Then the injuries started to hit us hard, and we had that game against the Raiders where they gave up 40 some points. From there, it was a mixed bag. If we stay healthy, we could have a really good defense.

You adjust to a Running QB. Jackson. You adjust to a QB who LOCKS on receivers.

THERE IS NO ADJUSTMENTS to a QB who throws it everywhere.

You TRY. GOOD FLIPPIN LUCK.

You are getting way too cocky.

Whoa there big fella, that's a really cocky statement, you think to little of our 2019 opponents.. One of which just came off a super bowl win. I'd temper that robust feeling just a little..

While I agree he's putting the cart ahead of the horse, he does have a point. It is far harder for a defense to come up with a scheme against a QB who spreads the ball all over the field when that team can also run the ball.

When you have your position groups focus on one or two targets, or the running game, they can beat you somewhere else. What will be much harder for opponents is putting eight men in the box to stop the run. The talent we have at the WR position will make that almost impossible to do. When you pull back into coverage, it will open up the running game.

That doesn't mean we'll be the best in the league by any means. But what it does mean is we have enough weapons to spread around the field we should be a very tough team to defend against.

Agreed Mr. Dorsey deserves a statue in the furure,but first Paul Brown deserves the next statue to be erected to honor his accomplishments and Legacy with our Browns.

With the evidence of Freddie's amazing OC adaptability skills last year, with the addition of Monken's concepts infused in our O, with the addition of OBJ and all that means to the rest of our receivers, and with the time of a full off-season to put the concepts and players together....I have no idea of what we're about to see on the field. Opposing coaches...I don't envy them.

All hail King Dorsey!

One other thing that some people aren't aware of. Teams with new HC's can begin their off season work out programs a full two weeks ahead of teams with their current HC.

These work outs begin April 1st for teams with new HC's and April 15th for teams with returning HC's.

Temper, schmemper. Some of us are all in! This team's going 12-4.

Game Balls for all in front office.

Dare I say, "Wa-Hoooo"?

Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens joins Scott Van Pelt to discuss the expectations around his team. Kitchens is excited to have a passionate Odell Beckham Jr. joining the Browns. He also discusses Baker Mayfield having “it” and everything he brings to the team. Kitchens talks about his journey to becoming an NFL head coach, and “staying true to himself.”

Quote: Notorious B.I.G./Ready To Die/'Gimme da Loot'

"Yes, love... love the ****n attitude-"


But Dawg- this is still the NFL.
The same NFL that hung 31 wins (of 32 games) on us quite recently.

I'm geeked too... but we won't be playing AAF/CFL teams.
I too, am optimistic. I just don't want you to suffer too much trauma if Brownies hit a tough patch. Super-high followed by super-low is bad for the heart, you know-


.02

Yeah... but I don't pity them, either.
After all the trauma we've suffered on 20 years-worth of Sundays, I seriously want to see our team administer some humiliating curb-stomps... especially within our division.

There was hardly a AFCN fan of another team who showed Browns fans the slightest bit of compassion during this abysmal stretch. For 20 excruciatingly painful years. I say it's high time Browns drop a dump truck full of Karma all over they collective ass. For a good run of years, too. We Dawgs got it coming.

45-7 beatdowns are welcome.
A fistful of 300+rushing yd games will start to balance the scales.
I want PIT players in particular to know what it's like to get skull-drug and then mocked.

I want the coaches of those teams to feel it. Because if they feel it, their teams will feel it. And then, the fans.

I want to see PIT, CIN and BAL fans all wearing that same stunned, shell-shocked, expressionless face that used to be the Browns 'mascot' in the stands.

If this is to truly turn around, our team cannot shy away from face-planting these bums into the mud. With extreme prejudice.


Around other fans, I'm usually quite polite and reserved. However, I want the opportunity to strut at the end of a Browns game if I want.


.02

IF we actually do it!

Sure, it's opening day. Long live the Chief!

I wouldn't put it that high. A good D has a way of impacting the outcome of a game. I don't think it realistic to think we are going to roll to 38-42 points a game. There are going to be games where we are in the teens and twenties. We need to be able to win some of those games to get to 12 wins. Probably even 9 wins.

Who would know better than us, lol. I'm looking forward to the days where the losses really hurt because we're that good and it shouldn't have happened....vs. just laughing about them because well, we're the Browns. We are there...where we all wanted to be. The wins are going to come in chunks. Screw "temper".

I understand that, I don't want people to be timid about their support for the Browns, but I just feel as if there is a lot of faith in Mayfield and the team they've assembled here, but a real lack of respect for other been there and done that already.

I don't think you discount the likes of the Pats.. They've got something like 18 years straight being in the hunt or winning it all.. So to say a Belichick won't figure out a way to stop the browns is kinda silly

We may see the Pats sooner than we think. Living in Pats territory I've been hearing speculation on local sports radio that the 1st game for the Pats will be the Browns on Sunday night Sept. 8th. That would be a tough way for us to start the season and a real test for us. It makes sense for ratings for obvious reasons. Well we'll see when the schedule come out.

I could be wrong, but I thought that was already shot down....I was hoping for it.